Lotus Blossom, one of a pair of album leaves

Description

Jin Nong was one of the Eight Eccentrics of Yangzhou, a group of highly individualistic artists active in the metropolis of Yangzhou. He began his career as a calligrapher, taking up painting at the age of sixty. A master of many subjects—bamboo, flowers, landscapes, horses, self-portraits, Buddhist images, and more —Jin Nong was the most prolific painter of the Yangzhou school.
 
Like many of his flower paintings, these album leaves—possibly from a larger set—are painted in a light and lively manner. Lotus Blossom pairs two flowers with an inscription in Jin Nong’s distinctive calligraphy:
 
In the evening, the rustic fragrance [of the lotus blossom] invites the guests to linger, while the egrets at the Thirty-six Ponds and the whole world [enjoy] a cool [breeze].
 
Jin Nong experimented with various types of calligraphy, including “print-type” calligraphy based on a Ming-dynasty (1368–1644) script. The brushstrokes are even and angular and the characters balanced and clear, in vivid contrast to the delicate brushwork of the blooms.

Fall rotation 2016